Railway-switch.



Patented 0st. 8, |90I.

G. M. ERVIN.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

(Application led Feb. 12, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE.

GEORGE M. ERVIN, OFA JOHNSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE LORAINSTEEL COMPANY, OF PENNSYLVANIA.

vRAILWAY-SWITCH.

srncrrrcn'rron forming part of Letters Patent N. 683,920, dated octobers, 190i.

Application filed February 12, 1901l Serial No.47,025. (No model.)

To @ZZ wwnt t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. ERVIN, of Johnstown, in the county ofCambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a full,clear, and eX- act description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has relation to certain new and useful improvements inrailway-switches, and is designed to provide a switch which will afforda continuous and unbroken bearing for the car-wheels for both the mainand branch tracks and which will carry a car over it with no more jar orthrust of the car than would be caused by a similar position of anordinary track; also, to provide a simple, durable, and practicable formof rotary switch in which all strain and thrust are entirely removedfrom the switch-pivots, which act merely as centers of movement.

Other minor objects of my invention will hereinafter appear.

. I attain the foregoing objects by the novel construction andcombination of parts hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in theappended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a plan view of a switch embodying my invention setfor the main track; Fig. 2, a similar view set for the branch track, aportion of the movable switch-piece being broken away to show thesupports therefor; Fig. 3, a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. l; Fig. 4.,a section on the line 4. 4 of Fig. I, showing the switch-piece beingmoved from one position to the other Figs. 5 and 6, sections on thelines5 and 6 6, respectively, of Fig. l; and Fig. 7, a section on the1ine7 7 of Fig. l.

The letter A designates the foundation structure of the switch, which ispreferably an integral casting having a central box-like portion with anextension A' at one end, corresponding in section (see Fig. 5) to thesection of the abutting main-track rail to which it is to be joined, andat the opposite end an extension A2, having a cross-section (see Fig. 6)similar to the cross-section of the combined abutting main-track andbranch-track rails to which it is to be joined.

B designates the rotary-switch piece, which consists of a solid plate ofmetal having formed in one of its surfaces a longitudinal wheel-grooveI) in line with and forming a continuation of the wheel-groove in theexswitch-piece in the manner clearly shown inv Fig. 7. In order thatsaid plate may lit as closely as possible in the structure A and at thesame time be capable of a rotary movement therein through an arc of onehundred and eighty degrees, the upper portions of the interior walls ofthe box are formed with receding bevels c.

Inasmuch as it is extremely desirable to relieve the pins c of allstrains and thrusts, which are likely to result not only in breakage,but in undue wear and looseness of the bearings for the switch-piece, animportant feature of my invention is the provision of supports for saidpiece entirely independent of these pins. These supports consist of twoedgewise disposed plates D, placed in the bottom of the box underneaththe switchpiece and of such height that when in vertical parallelposition the switch piece will rest squarely upon their upper edges. Thelower edges of these plates are rounded and rest in concave bearings d',formed on the bottom of the box, whereby the plates may be rocked awayfrom each other suiiciently to move their upper edges out of the path ofmovement of the switch-piece. This is effected by means of a transverselever E, pivoted at e in the wall of the box at one end portion thereofand provided with two oblique diverging slots f, which are engaged,respectively, by pins f' on the ends of the plates. It will be apparentthat if the pins f are at the IOO bottom of these slots and thelever bedepressed the walls of the slots will act upon said pins to rock theplates from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig 3and that if said plates are in the position shown in Fig. 3 and the freeend of the lever be raised the plates will be moved to the positionshown in Fig. 4-that is to say, their upper edges will move sufficientlyoutward toward the sides of the box to be entirely out of the path ofthe movement of the switchpiece. To receive the free end of this lever,the box is provided with an offset portion A3, as shown, and connectedto the lever within said oset is a pull-:rod G, which extends up throughthe closed top of the offset and is provided with a ring or eye g. Torelieve the pins c of side thrusts which would otherwise occur as thecar strikes the switch-piece, I provide the sides of the latter at itsend portions with convex enlargements H and the sides of the box withcorresponding concave bearings or abutments H. By making a reasonablyclose fit between these enlargements and bearings, which can be readilydone, the pins will be entirely relieved thereby from all side thrustsof the character referred to.

I is a stud or pin projecting on one edge of the switch-piece, which byits engagement with the bottom walls of recesses I' in the structure Aacts as a stop to prevent the said piece from moving too far.

The end of the lever E is provided with a weight K, which will insureits being normally held depressed with the supports in proper positionto carry the switch-piece. In

Vlieu of a weight it is obvious that a spring may be employed.

The operation of the switch is as follows: Suppose that the switch beset for the main track, as shown in Fig. l, and it is desired that anapproaching car shall take the branch track. If there is no attendantstationed at the switch, the motorman runs his car up to the switch andpulls upon the rod G, thereby moving the supports to the position shownin Fig. 4. He then takes his bar and presses down upon the switch-piecesuficiently to rotate it into the position shown in Fig. 2. This can bedone with very little effort, as the switch-piece is perfectly free onits bearings. It will not be necessary for the motorman to continue topull on the rod after the switchpiece commences to turn, as its ownengagement with said supports will keep them back out of the way, theirupper edges being slightly beveled, as shown at h, to facilitate thisaction.

The bottom of the box may be left open, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, topermit of the escape of water and dirt which collect in the box. If itbecomesl necessary to clean the box at any time, the switch-piece may bereadily lifted out.

Inasmuch as the grooves and gage-lines in the switch-pieces may be madeto accurately register with those of the abutting track and asrthere isno substantial wear upon the pivots to prevent this register from beingmaintained, it will be seen that the switch provides a continuouswheel-bearing for both the main and branch tracks, the joints betweenthe ends of the switch-piece and the extensions of the structure Aamounting to no more than ordinary rail-joints.

I do not wish to limit myself to the particular arrangement of thesupports nor to the means for operating the same which I have hereinshown and described, as it is obvious that various means within theprovince of a mechanic may be devised for the purpose without departingfrom the spirit of my invention. It will also be obvious that variousdevices,either mechanical or electromagnetic, might be used inconnection with my improved switch for operating the same instead ofdepending upon the operation of the motorman, as above described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, anddesire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. In a switch, the combination with a boxlike foundation structure, ofa rotary switch member journaled or pivoted in said structure andconstructed to form in one position thereof a section of a main track,and in a second position thereof a section of a branch track, and meansfor supporting same plate independently of its journals or pivots.

2. In a switch, the combination with a boxlike foundation structure, ofa rotary switch member jonrnaled or pivoted in said structure andconstructed to form in one position thereof a section of a main track,and in a second position thereof a section of a branch track, andmembers underneath the said plate and supporting the same in bothpositions thereof, together with means for actuating said members tomove them into and out of supporting position.

3. In a switch, the combination with a boxlike foundation structure, ofa rotary switch member journaled or pivoted in said struc'- ture,edgewise-disposed pivotal supportingplates underneath said switch piece,and means for moving said plates into and out of supporting position.

4. In a switch, the combination with the foundation structure having acentral boxlike portion with end extensions adapted for connection tothe main and branch track rails, of a rotary switch-piece journaled inbox portion of said structure, edgewise-disposed supporting membersunderneath said plate and having pivotal bearings at their lower edges,and means for actuating said plates to move them on said bearings intoand out of supporting position.

5. In a switch, the combination with a foundation structure, of a rotaryswitch-piece j ournaled therein, the edgewise-disposed supportingmembers for said plate, said members being pivotally. seated in saidstructure,

IOO

the transverse lever having cam-slots engaging pins or projections onthe ends of said members, and a pull-rod connected to the free end ofsaid lever.

6. In a switch of the character described, the combination with afoundation structure having a box-like central portion, provided withlongitudinally-projecting pins at its ends, of a reversible switch-platehaving inl its ends open grooves which pivotally engage the said pins,said plate having at one side a track-surface adapted to form a sectionof a main track, and in the other side a tracksurface adapted to form asection of a branch track.

7. In a switch of the character described, the combination of afoundation structure, a

